GAVIN BASKERVILLE – CRUNCH TIME

By Lisa Clark

I’ve got to give it to Gavin Baskerville for having the best opening gag at the festival this year. He had the geared up audience cheering from the start. He also handed round a pack of potato chips and promised we’d all get a pack at the end. Way to get an audience on side!!

Gavin is a ‘seasoned’ performer, one of Australia’s best joke ‘smiths and a compelling storyteller. From the guilty joys of potato chips and family who have become food snobs to reality TV, he is a genial observer of modern mores and misbehaviour. He ‘peppers’ his observations with crowd pleasing puns, the occasional grinning groaners, clever call-backs and seamless segues.

Things become serious as he takes his theme down the wider path of politics, the world economy and how people are generally screwing up the Earth for short term gain. Light hearted observational jokes at the beginning of his show take on deeper meanings, and as he gets more serious, the jokes gradually become harder to find. He brings it back before the end, like a trooper, and never fails to be entertaining, but if he could have kept serving up more of the dark wisecracks during the serious part it would have been a lot stronger.

Gavin is that sort of intelligent, jovial, warm-hearted bloke you look forward to chatting to at a ‘barbeque’. I’ve always thought of him as a bit of a Tasmanian Dave O’Neil in that way and I worry that he’s been around so long that he might be taken for granted. His ability to pop out  ‘rib’ tickling zingers can run ‘rings’ around a lot of younger comedians and is really worth going out of your way for.

Last year Gavin’s awesome show turned out to be one of my favourites of the festival, but because I saw it in the last weekend, it was pretty much too late to get the word out about it. This year I made sure I got in early and am still impressed with his ability to make highly skilled comedy seem effortless and am urging everyone along to see one of the most overlooked comedy talents in Australia. Crunch Time is a scrumptious delight.

Gavin is performing at Three Degrees
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/crunch-time-gavin-baskerville

5 Good Reasons to see Gavin Baskerville, Jordana Borensztajn and Doug (Tracey Cosgrove’s Dodgy Cousin)

5 Good Reasons to see Gavin Baskerville: Crunch Time

1. I have chips.

2. I’m from Tasmania. In the good way (apples, fresh air, Princess Mary), not the bad way (you know, I know, we all know).

3. I’m allowed to go to the whiskey bar if enough people buy tickets to my show.

4. I love whiskey.

5. Did I mention the chips?

Gavin is giving out chips and comedy at Three Degrees
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/crunch-time-gavin-baskerville

5 GOOD REASONS TO SEE Jordana Borensztajn in SOCIAL NEEDIA: THE EPIDEMIC
1. Are you a victim of Social Needia; an epidemic that’s gone viral? Want to find out? Lucky for you, I’ll be offering complementary checklists and assessments at my shows.

2. Got a short attention span? So do I… So my show isn’t straight stand up. It features multimedia elements. Plenty of distractions to keep you busy.

3. The longest stage spot I’ve ever done is 7.5 minutes and my show is 55 minutes. It’s my debut. Take the risk with me!

4. Rather than banning the use of mobile phones through my show, I’m encouraging them so don’t hide your iPhone or BlackBerry. Put it on your lap, wave it around, take pics, send tweets – whatever you want. If you use an Android though, ummm, you might want to hide that.

5. Got some Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, email and other online frustrations you want to vent about? Bring them along. I promise my show will be therapeutic for you and me!

SOCIAL NEEDIA: THE EPIDEMIC will be on at LOOP Project Space & Bar
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/social-needia-the-epidemic-jordana-borensztajn

5 Good Reasons to see Doug: Hello Ladies!(Tracey Cosgrove’s Dodgy Cousin Returns)

1. I’m a poet. And I know it. Also a writer, not a fighter. See what I did there?

2. I’m sweeter than a deep fried Mars Bar and more dangerous than a three-day-old Wing Ding. That’s how the ladies like it.

3. I’m on at 8.30pm so you don’t have to miss Home & Away.

4. I’ll be signing body parts after the show. Any part – I’m not afraid of a bit of culture.

5. (I’ve found it’s always good to finish with a haiku):

Please come to my show,
I will wear my best t-shirt.
I love Chiko Rolls.

Doug will be performing at Three Degrees
http://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2013/season/shows/hello-ladies-tracey-cosgrove-s-dodgy-cousin-returns-doug